Winding and rewinding mechanism.



1. s. MAXWELL.

.WINDING AND REWINDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28,1914.

Patented J 11116 27, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

giiurmgs 0 w, M m

witnesses THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

I. S. MAXWELL.

WINDING AND REWINDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.28 I9I4.

Patented June 27, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- awn-megs THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D c.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. MAXWELL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO STARR PIANO COMPANY,

' OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

WINDING AND REWINDING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2'7, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN S. MAXWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Wayne and tate of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Winding and Rewinding Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to winding and rewinding mechanism for player pianos and more especially to the brake or retarding mechanism for holding the idle spool against racing during the wlnding and rewinding processes.

An object of the invention is to provide brakes or retarding mechanism of. improved type which are automatically applied to the rotating parts respectively of the winding and rewinding mechanism when the structure is manually shifted from winding to rewinding position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which will apply the requisite retarding action constantly to the moving parts irrespective of the stress put upon the parts by the manual action of shifting from winding to rewinding.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved structure which will ap ply greater retarding or braking action to the music spool when the sheet is being wound in playing than to the regular roller of the piano when the sheet is being rewound and do this automatically.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as'will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a conventional music well and associated parts with the winding and rewinding mechanism which'forms the subject-matter of this application applied thereto, and shown in winding position. Fig. 2 is a view of the winding and rewinding mechanism shown in front elevation and in rewinding position. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the winding and rewinding mechanism taken on line 33 of Figs. 1 and-2 and shown in winding position. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the brake and supporting bracket for the winding roller. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the brake and supporting bracket for the music spool.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved winding and rewinding mechanism which forms the subject-matter of this application is adapted to be associated with a music roll of substantially the usual and ordinar T type, the specific construction being immaterial to the present invention and being here shown as a whole at 10. The winding and rewinding mechanism comprises a shaft 11 carrying the winding roller and a shaft 12 fitted with an extremity 13 for removably engaging the music spool. These features are common to the usual winding and rewinding mechanisms. I

The mechanism is driven from a shaft 14 journaled in the plates 15 and 16 and slidable longitudinally therein by means of the manual lever 17 engaging the furrow 18 in the pinion 19 which is rigidly connected with the shaft 14. l/Iounted also upon the shaft 14 is a sprocket 20 held by the finger 21 engaging the groove 22 in the hub of such sprocket, so that the sprocket is not moved with the shaft 14. Mounted also upon the shaft 14 is a second hub 23 having a slot 21 therein while the shaft 14 is provided with a feather sliding in such slot. The hub 23 carries a sprocket 26 which receives motion from any convenient source of power and is all held against movement relative to the plate 16 by the finger 27 engaging the groove 28 of the hub 23. The pinion 19 when in winding position, as shown at Fig. 1 engages a gear 29 rigidly mounted upon the shaft 11 so that in that position the shaft 11 is driven. The sprocket 20 carries a sprocket chain 30 which passes over a sprocket 31 rigidly mounted upon the shaft 12 so that in the rewinding position, as shown at Fig. 2 the pin 32 carried by the pinion 19 will engage the pin 33 carried by the sprocket 20 whereby the sprocket 20 and the sprocket 31 are driven, thereby driving the shaft 12. The pins 32 and 33 are of such length that they are only in the path of movement of each other when the pinion 19 is thrown to rewinding position, as shown at Fig. 2 and escape engagement with each other when in winding position as shown at Fig. 1.

At any convenient point adjacent the gear 29 a bracket 34 is mounted having a plunger 35 slidable therein and carrying a friction head 36 positioned to be held yieldingly against the gear 29 by means of the spring 37. Upon the plunger 35 a collar 38 is rigidly and adjustably secured in position to be engaged by the manual lever 17 as it is moved from rewinding to winding position, that is to say from the position shown at Fig. 2 to the position shown at Fig. 1, thereby moving the plunger 35 against the tension of the spring 37 to withdraw such friction head 38 from engagement with the gear 29.

Upon the shaft 12 a friction disk 39 is rigidly mounted and a brake lever 40 is fulcrumed at any convenient point as upon the bracket 41 which is rigidly secured at any convenient point as to the plate 15. The lever 40 carries a friction material 42 in position to engage the disk 39 with a spring 43 tending to hold the members in such engagement and with a screw 44 provided for varying the tension of the spring 43.

To remove the braking action of the lever 40 from the disk 39 as required a rod 45 is provided pivoted to an arm 46 upon the manual lever 17 and slidably extending through an opening 47 in the brake lever 40. The end of the rod so inserted through the brake lever is screw-threaded and a nut 48 is provided which lifts the brake lever 40 when the rod is raised to its upper limit but exerts no action upon the lever when the rod is at the lower limit as shown more particularly at Fig. 1, the brake then being applied only frictionally by the-tension of the spring 43. By varying the tension of the spring by manipulating the screw 44 tension may be varied upon the music spool to hold the music sheet upon the tracker bar as may be desired /or required in the playing of the music.

It is also obvious that each of the friction members 36 and 42 are applied to their respective disks only during those times when the roller to which their disk is connected is the idle roller and that at all other times the brake or retard upon such roller is removed, thus reducing the energy consumption to the minimum.

It is also obvious that the friction members are at all times applied to their disks when applied at all only by the force of their springs with no added force from the manual action of the parts.

I claim:

1. In a player piano, a winding shaft, a rewinding shaft, a disk carried by each of said shafts, friction members positioned to engage the disks, one of said friction members comprising a bracket and a spring pressed plunger freely mounted in the bracket, an engaging device carried by the plunger, a power mechanism, sliding means for shifting the power mechanism from the winding to the rewinding shaft, a. lever one end of which contacts with the sliding means, a rod pivotally connected with the lever on that side of the pivotal point of said lever distant from the means for shifting the power mechanism and also connected with one of said friction members, said lever contacting with the engaging device on the plunger and directly operating the latter simultaneously with the operation of the means for shifting the power mechanism.

2. In a player piano, a winding and a rewinding shaft; a disk carried upon each of said shafts; friction members positioned to engage the disks; one of said friction members comprising a U-shaped bracket having one arm rigidly mounted, a plunger passing loosely through both arms of the bracket and an engaging device carried by the plunger; a power mechanism; manual means to shift the power mechanism from the Winding to the rewinding mechanism; means connected with the manual shifting mechanism to release the frictionnnember from engagement with the disk upon the rewinding mechanism when rewinding and to disengage the friction member from its disk upon the winding mechanism during winding.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. MAXWELL. Witnesses:

LAWRENCE H. Prnirrnn, ARNOLD E. Prnirrnn.

copies of this patent msy be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! l'stents, Washington, D. 0." 

